Pope Francis: On Christian Traits of History and Service

(Vatican Radio) “History and service.” In his homily on Thursday morning, Pope Francis spoke about these “two traits of Christian identity.”

Beginning with “history,” Pope Francis said Saint Paul, Saint Peter, and the other disciples “did not proclaim a Jesus without a history: They proclaimed Jesus in the history of the people, a people God led through the centuries in order to arrive… at the fullness of time.” God enters into history and into the journey with His people:

“The Christian is a man or woman of history, because he does not pertain to himself alone – he is inserted into a people, a people that is on a journey. One cannot imagine a Christian selfishness, no, this won’t fly. The Christian is not a spiritual man or woman in a laboratory, [the Christian] is a spiritual man or woman inserted into a people, which has a long history and which continues to journey until the Lord returns.”

It is a “history of grace, but also a history of sin”:

“So many sinners, so many crimes! Today, Paul mentions King David, a saint – but before he became a saint, he was a great sinner. A great sinner. Our history must take up both saints and sinners. My own personal history, the history of each one of us, must take up our sin, our own proper sin, and the grace of the Lord that is with us, accompanying us in our sin in order to forgive and accompanying us in grace. There is no Christian identity without history.”

The second trait of Christian identity is service. “Jesus washes the feet of the disciples, inviting them to do as He has done: to serve”:

“Christian identity is service, not selfishness. ‘But Father, we are all selfish.’ Ah, really? It is a sin, a habit we have to break away from. Ask for forgiveness, that the Lord will convert us. We are called to service. Being Christian is not about appearance, or even about social conduct, it’s not a little make-up for the soul, because it should be a little more beautiful. To be Christian is to do what Jesus did: serve!”

Pope Francis called us to ask ourselves, “In my heart, what more can I do? Do I have other people serve me,  do I use others, the community, the parish, my family, my friends? Or do I serve, am I at the service of others?”

Pope Francis: "If you did not touch him, you did not meet him"

The following comes from My Unquiet Heart:

My son and I went for a drink at a café last night, and sat at a table in the front window. There was a homeless man sitting on the porch, alone. As Isaac and I drank our root beers, a young woman quietly walked up to the man and spoke with him. She came inside, purchased a coffee, filled it with cream and sugar, then went back outside to deliver it to the man.

This was impressive enough. The woman was discreet, and clearly didn't want to draw attention to herself. But what impressed me most deeply about her was that she didn't just buy this man a coffee. She talked with him, looked him in the eye, and touched him on the shoulder unselfconsciously and with evident care. She provided for me, as a parent, a teaching moment as I pointed out to Isaac what she was doing. She also taught me by modelling the kind of generous love to which we are called as Christians.

I couldn't help but be reminded of something Pope Francis said to his fellow Argentinians in August 2013 as they gathered to celebrate the feast of St Gaetano. In his talk, Pope Francis talked specifically not just about giving alms, but about how we should give alms. He did this by going through the questions he asks people when it comes to giving to the poor:

“Do you give alms?

“They tell me, ‘Yes, Father.’

“And when you give alms do you look in the eyes of the people you give them to?

‘Oh, I don’t know, I don’t notice.’

“Look, he has not met the people. He threw the alms and left. When he gives the alms, does his hand touch (the hand of the poor) or does he toss the coin?”

“No, you throw the coin. And you have not touched, and if you did not touch him, you did not meet him.”

“What Jesus teaches us is first to meet, and (after) meeting, to help. We need to know how to meet. We need to build, to create, to construct a culture of encounter.”

At a Heine Brothers Coffee shop on the corner of Bardstown Road and Longest Avenue, I saw a young woman truly meet a homeless man. Yes, there is more to generous love than just buying someone a coffee, talking to them, and touching them. There are systematic changes that need to take place in our society such that we truly care for the poor. However, such changes take place through transformed hearts, hearts like the one I saw yesterday that convict me to love more fully.

Pope Francis visits Sacred Heart Basilica; A Salesian Parish serving the young, poor and homeless of Rome

(CNA/EWTN News) Pope Francis, the Bishop of Rome, made a pastoral visit to one of his parishes Sunday, choosing one situated in an area filled with migrants, refugees, homeless persons, and itinerants.

During his Jan. 19 visit to Sacred Heart of Jesus at the Praetorian Barracks, Pope Francis said Mass in the evening and met with members of the parish, including the homeless who live near Rome’s large Termini train station.

While located in Rome's geographical center, three miles east of the Vatican, Sacred Heart is in an “existential periphery” of the city.

“Initially (Pope Francis) said, ‘I don’t want to go to a church in the center of Rome, but on the outskirts,’” the parish's pastor, Fr. Valerio Baresi, a Salesian, told CNA Jan. 20.

“Then he realized we, because we are in the center of Rome – we’re across from Termini station – that we live in the reality of an existential periphery, because here there are numerous poor people, looking to survive near the station.”

Termini is Rome's main railway station, connecting it to Europe and Italy's major cities; it is also a metro station, where the city's two main lines intersect.

Sacred Heart offers special outreach to the diverse populations who arrive at Termini, often living on the peripheries of society. Each Thursday the parish hosts a get-together with games, songs, reading the upcoming Sunday gospel together, as well as a dinner. On Friday, a group of young people bring dinner to the homeless at Termini station.

“It’s not just that we give them something to eat: above all, we create relationships,” explained Fr. Baresi.

The many activities are run by both the Salesian priests at the parish and a group of missionary sisters from Argentina. Together, they work “with the youth” rather than “for the youth” of the parish, forming the young people to be able to enter into the work of service with people from all over the world.

“It’s beautiful to see the young refugees together with the young Italians - mutual enrichment, one learning from the other, one teaching the other,” reflected Fr. Baresi.

Sacred Heart, which serves over 400 refugees every year, also offers Italian classes, education for a middle school diploma, and a driving school, “so that they can find it easier to enter into the world of work.”

During his homily for Mass, Pope Francis preached on Christ as the “lamb of God,” taking on the “weakness” of humanity.

Christ “takes away many sins with love,” preached the Bishop of Rome. He “is full of love, close to the small, close to the poor: he was there among the people.”

The city's bishop also emphasized the profundity of God's forgiveness.

“Maybe we have torment in the heart, darkness in the heart, maybe one feels sad for a sin… but (Jesus) came to take on all the sins … this is the salvation of Jesus.”

Jesus came to bring “peace in the world, but first in the heart,” he said.

“We must grow in faith in Jesus.”

Often we have faith in a doctor, or a brother or sister, to help us, and “it is good to have faith in humanity. But don’t forget to have faith in the Lord! This is the key to life.”

“Jesus never deludes, never, eh? Never – listen well, you young people who are starting life: Jesus never deludes!”

Pope Francis then led the congregation in an Ignatian-style meditation about Sunday’s gospel reading.

“I invite you to do something. Close your eyes. Let us imagine this scene. We arrive at the river. There is John the Baptist, and Jesus passes by. We hear the voice of John the Baptist, ‘behold the lamb of God’, and now we hear the voice of Jesus in each one of us, in the silence of our hearts.”

Following the Mass, a Ghanaian refugee, Steven, told CNA he appreciates Sacred Heart because “here they have respect for everyone – we are all like family here, we don’t have a difference between refugees or the people who live in Rome.”

Steven met Pope Francis during the pastoral visit, and said that when he asked the Pope to pray for him, he replied, “pray for me too.”

“One thing he said that was very interesting for me,” Steven added, is “he said that no one here can save us – only God will save us.”

Pope’s triple marching orders to young people: "Go, do not be afraid, serve”

The following comes from the Vatican Insider:

Pope Francis set on fire the hearts of 3 million young people from 195 countries at World Youth Day (WYD) in Rio on Sunday, when he told them, with inspiring words, to bring Christ’s Gospel to all nations. By doing so, he said, “you are bringing God’s power to pluck up and break down evil and violence, to destroy and overthrow the barriers of selfishness, intolerance and hatred, so as to build a new world”

He gave them these final marching orders at the closing WYD mass on Rio’s breathtaking Copacabana beach, July 28.  It was the biggest mass ever celebrated on Latin American soil, and the second largest in WYD history.  It was memorable not only for the joyful Latin American music and the singing of Charismatic and other groups, but also for the emotional moment when a young Brazilian couple brought their newborn anacephalic (without a brain) daughter to the Pope at the offertory, as a gift to God.

As Francis spoke he could see, stretching before him along the waterfront, young people from all continents, cultures, languages, waving the flags of their nations.  400,000 had come from around the world, the rest were from Brazil.  Most had slept overnight in sleeping bags on the beachfront or on the street parallel to it. They had given him a rapturous, emotional welcome when he arrived in his partially covered jeep; they jumped up and down, danced and roared with joy as he passed among them blessing them and, at one point, even drinking mate offered by a pilgrim.

Speaking to them with passion, the humble Jesuit pope summarized his message in three points:  “Go! Do not be Afraid! Serve!”

“Go and make disciples of all nations”, he told them   This WYD had been “a wonderful experience”, he declared; they had “met Jesus” and “sensed the joy of the faith” with other young people, but now “you must go and pass on this experience to others”, because “Jesus is calling you to be a disciple with a mission!”

They must not keep this experience “locked up” in their own life, small parish group or movement, he said, “Because that would be like withholding oxygen from a flame that was burning strongly. Faith is a flame that grows stronger the more it is passed on, so that everyone may know, love and confess Jesus Christ, the Lord of life and history.” 

They must share the Gospel with others, he said, because that is the command Jesus gives to the whole Church, “and that includes you”.  It is a command “that is born not from a desire for domination or power but from the force of love, from the fact that Jesus first came into our midst and gave his life in order to save us and to show us the love and mercy of God.”

He reminded them that “Jesus does not treat us as slaves, but as free men, as friends, as brothers and sisters” and “he not only sends us, he accompanies us, he is always beside us in our mission of love”.    

Jesus “sends us to everyone. The Gospel is for everyone, not just for some”, he declared, as he urged them, “Do not be afraid to go and to bring Christ into every area of life, to the fringes of society, even to those who seem farthest away, most indifferent” because Jesus “wants everyone to feel the warmth of his mercy and his love”.

Pope Francis repeated, “Do not be afraid” to proclaim the Gospel even if they felt they had “no particular preparation”, because “when we go to proclaim Christ, it is he himself who goes before us and guides us” .Moreover, the whole Church and the saints in heaven will accompany them.  

Finally, he told said, they are called “to serve” people because “the life of Jesus is a life for others. It is a life of service.” He reminded them that “Evangelizing means bearing personal witness to the love of God, it is overcoming our selfishness, and it is serving by bending down to wash the feet of our brethren, as Jesus did.”

He promised that if they followed his three key ideas - Go, do not be afraid, and serve, “you will experience that the one who transmits the joy of faith receives joy.” As he bade them farewell, he told them, “Jesus counts on you, the Church counts on you, the Pope counts on you”, and he said he looked forward to meeting them again at the next WYD in Krakow, in 2016.

Pope Francis among the urban poor

Pope Francis: Like Martha and Mary, Christians need contemplation and service

(AsiaNews) Christians, whether they are lay, religious or ordained, need contemplation and service, prayer and "action".  Because without either of these factors all prayer becomes sterile and leads us nowhere: "If we do not work for our brothers and sisters in need, we cannot see the Lord and even in ecclesiastical service we need - as Saint Benedict says - prayer and action". In the last Angelus from St Peter's Square before leaving for Rio, which will host "Youth Week", the Pope continues his commentary of the Gospels.

"Dear brothers and sisters, this Sunday we continue our reading of the tenth chapter of Luke's Gospel.  Today0s passage is that of Martha and Mary. Both offer hospitality to the Lord who is passing, but they do it in a different way. Mary places herself at Jesus' feet, listening, Martha, who allows herself to become absorbed by the things to prepare, and it is so busy that she turns to Jesus and says,  "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me". And Jesus answers gently scolding her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing".

According to Francis, "it is important to understand that this is not the contrast between two attitudes: listening to the word of the Lord, contemplation, and practical service to others. They are not two opposing attitudes, but, on the contrary, both are two essential aspects to our Christian life aspects that should never be separated, but lived in profound unity and harmony. " But then he continued, "why is Marta rebuked, even if gently, by Jesus? Because she considered essential only what she was doing, because  she was too self-absorbed and preoccupied by things by doing". "For a Christian, the works of service and charity are never detached from the main source of all our actions: listening to the Word of the Lord, being - like Mary - at the feet of Jesus, in the attitude of the disciple. And this is why Marta is reprimanded. "

This reflection resulted on Luke's Gospel does not stop at that historical period or the circle of the disciples of the living Christ: "Even in our Christian life dear brothers and sisters, prayer and action are always deeply united. A prayer that does not lead to concrete action towards the poor, sick, in need of help, is a sterile and incomplete prayer. " But the Pope added with equal force "when we pay more attention to doing in the service of the Church, when we give more weight to objects, functions, structures, and forget the centrality of Christ, when we do not reserve time for dialogue with Him in prayer, we risk serving ourselves and not God present in the poor. St. Benedict summed up the lifestyle that he indicated to his monks in two words: "ora et labora," prayer and work. It is from contemplation, a strong friendship with the Lord that the ability to live and bring the love of God, his mercy, and his compassion towards others is born in us. And our merciful action toward our brother brings us toward the Lord, so that we see the Lord in our poor brother. "

Immediately after the Angelus, the Pope greeted the groups and said: "I see written on a sign over there 'have a good trip': thank you! Thank you and I ask you to accompany me spiritually in prayer on my first Apostolic Visit from tomorrow. As you know, I will travel to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on the occasion of the 28th World Youth Day. There will be so many young people there, from all parts of the world, and I think this could be called the Youth Week. The real protagonists of this week will be the young people. All those who come to Rio want to hear the voice of Jesus, listen and ask him: 'Lord, what should I do with my life?' You too, I do not know if there are young people in the square. Are there? (Here a round of applause interrupted the pope.) You too, young people who are in the square, have the same question to ask of the Lord: Lord, what should I do with my life? What is my path? ".

In conclusion, Francis said: "Let us entrust to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, so loved and venerated in that country, these questions: that of the young people of Rio and yours. And that Our Lady will help us in this new stage of the great pilgrimage of young people across the world. I wish you all a good Sunday! Have a good lunch and till we meet again!. "

Pope Francis praises Missionaries of Charity's 'beautiful' Vatican ministry

(CNA/EWTN News)  Pope Francis thanked the Missionaries of Charity for their work and described one of their houses located inside the Vatican “a beautiful reality” and “a school of charity.”

“I thank all those who in various ways support this beautiful reality of the Vatican,” said Pope Francis during a May 21 evening visit to celebrate the residence’s 25th anniversary.

“This house is a place that teaches charity, a school of charity, that teaches us to go out to every person, not for profit, but out of love,” he stated at the Gift of Mary House.

He noted that “at the border between the Vatican and Italy, it is a powerful reminder to all of us, to the Church, to the city of Rome, to always be more of a family, a home in which we are open to welcome, to attention, and to fraternity.”

Blessed John Paul II placed the house under the care of the sisters on May 21, 1998.

“How many people have you fed in these years, how many wounded, above all wounded spiritually, have you cared for!” he emphasized.

“My presence here tonight is to give first of all my heartfelt thanks to the Missionaries of Charity, founded by Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, working here for 25 years, with many volunteers, in favor of so many people in need of help, thank you!” he told them.

Around 25 homeless women are allowed to live in the residence, and the sisters feed around 60 people each day at the house.

“A home represents the most precious human wealth, that of encounter, that of the relationships between persons of different ages, cultures, and histories who live together and who, together, help one another to grow, and that is what this house has sought to be for 25 years,” said Pope Francis.

Archbishop Georg Gänswein, Prefect of the Papal Household, and Monsignor Alfred Xuereb, the Pope’s personal secretary, accompanied the pontiff on his 5:30 p.m. visit.

The meeting was held in the courtyard located between the Gift of Mary House, the Palace of the Holy Office and the Atrium of the Paul VI Hall.

Cardinal Angelo Comastri and the Mother General of the Missionaries of Charity, Sister Mary Prema Pierick, welcomed Pope Francis.

The sisters then placed a garland of flowers around the Pope’s neck, following Indian tradition.

Over 100 people were also at the house, including its patrons, employees, friends and guests as well as Missionaries of Charity from other different communities around Rome.

The Pope described the homeless women living at the house as its “gift” and “a gift to the Church.”

“You tell us that loving God and our neighbor is not something abstract but profoundly concrete,” he stated.

“It means seeing in every person the face of the Lord to serve and serving him concretely,” he added.

According to the Pope, people everywhere must recover the entire sense of gift, gratuity and solidarity.

“A savage capitalism has taught the logic of profit at any cost, give in order to get, exploitation without looking at persons, and we see the results in the crisis we are living through!” said the pontiff.

Pope Francis noted that another feature of the house is that it is “qualified as a gift of Mary” and she is an example of living charity towards our neighbor, “not out of social duty, but starting from God's love.”

Pope Francis: True power comes with service